Week 10 Fantasy Football Rankings: Top Players at Every Position

It's Week 10 of the 2012 NFL season, which brings with it both good news and bad news.

The good news is that we've almost reached the end of the dreaded bye weeks, and soon enough, fantasy owners will once again have a foll complement of players from which to select their starting lineups.

The bad news is that is may come too late for some teams, as many fantasy squads are hanging on to their playoff aspirations by a thread right now, making every week a "must-win" scenario.

With that said, whether you're cruising at 8-1 or trying to play spoiler at 2-7 every fantasy owner wants to field the best lineup possible, and to help you do just that, here's a look at the top options at every position for Week 10 in point-per-reception (PPR) fantasy football leagues.

Matt Ryan and the Top 20 Quarterbacks

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Quarterback Matt Ryan is enjoying an MVP-caliber season at the helm of the undefeated Atlanta Falcons, as the fifth-year pro has completed nearly 70 percent of passes for 2,360 yards and 17 scores with only six interceptions.

The 27-year-old is also enjoying a fantastic fantasy season, ranking among the top five options at his position in fantasy points per game, and Ryan should once again post big numbers this week against a New Orleans Saints defense that is absolutely awful.

Adrian Peterson and the Top 20 Running Backs

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Were it not for the 251-yard outing turned in by running back Doug Martin of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers last week the talk of the NFL may well have been Adrian Peterson of the Minnesota Vikings, who gashed a stout Seattle run defense for over 170 yards and two touchdowns on the road.

The sixth-year pro has made a remarkable recovery from last December's ACL tear, and with over 100 rushing yards and at least one touchdown in each of his past three games, the NFL's leading rusher has regained his title as king of the mountain at his position.

Brandon Marshall and the Top 20 Wide Receivers

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The Chicago Bears sit at 7-1 and atop the NFC North, and while a large part of the credit for that hot start goes to the Bears' formidable defense, the impact of wide receiver Brandon Marshall's arrival in the Windy City has also played a huge role.

The seventh-year veteran ranks fourth in the National Football League in receptions, second in receiving yards and second in touchdowns, and most importantly, no wide receiver has cracked 200 fantasy points threshold so far this year besides the 28-year-old.

Rob Gronkowski and the Top 20 Tight Ends

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After a somewhat sluggish start to the 2012 season, fantasy owners of New England Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski were no doubt growing anxious, fearful that the first-round pick they spent on the third-year pro was a bad investment.

However, Gronkowski has been on an absolute tear of late, with 12 catches for 224 yards and four touchdowns over his past two games, and that hot streak should continue Sunday in a top 10 fantasy matchup with the Buffalo Bills.

Lawrence Tynes and the Top 20 Kickers

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Ranking fantasy kickers is like eating peas. I'll do it because they're on my plate, but I don't have to like it.

That said, Lawrence Tynes has been the top fantasy kicker to this point in the 2012 season by a fairly significant margin, and given that the Cincinnati Bengals rank in the top half of the league in fantasy points per game allowed to the position, he's as good a choice as any for the top spot in Week 10.

San Francisco 49ers and the Top 20 Defenses

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If we were ranking fantasy defenses based strictly off past performance, then the Chicago Bears would easily be the top option, as their nose for the end zone has made them the top "player" at the position this season by a mile.

However, matchups have a great deal of significance where team defenses are concerned, and with the Bears facing a 7-1 Houston Texans team while the San Francisco 49ers face the St. Louis Rams, it's the latter that ekes out this week's top defensive slot.